AP World History

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• AP World History
• Developments in the Americas, 600 C.E. to 1400
  C.E.

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PrePresentation Outline

1. Neolithic Civilization in Mesoamerica (Olmecs)
2. Maya
3. Aztecs
4. Inca
5. Comparisons (Social Political)

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11) Neolithic Civilization in Mesoamerica (Olmecs)

• Olmecs were the first civilization to emerge in
  Mesoamerica between 1600 and 400 B.C.E.

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• Olmecs built villages and trade networks
• They developed the first written language
• Olmecs did not create the kinds of institutions
  seen in Mesopotamia or Egypt

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• First to develop Mesoamerican ball game
• Brutal spectator sport which also included ritual
  sacrifice

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lOlmecs-Decline

• Archaeological evidence suggests that several
  volcanic eruptions and devastating earthquakes
  occurred in Southern Mexico which led to the
  collapse of Olmec civilization

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2) Maya

• Southern Mexico (Yucatan Peninsula), Central
  America
• Began around 800 B.C.E and lasted until around
  800C.E.

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Maya - Political

• The Maya were organized into city states ruled
  by a single King.
• City-states
• Relatively autonomous, but united under one king
• Warfare
• Cites within Mayan territory were often at odds
  with one another and war was for capturing slaves
  or sacrificial victims for religious purposes.

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Maya Social, Cultural

• Their largely agricultural peasant population
  was bound to nobility by ties of loyalty and
  religion.
• Social structure
• Kings, priests, nobility
• Merchants
• Peasants, slaves
• Gender
• Traditional roles for women

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Maya - Economic

• Agricultural
• Slash and burn
• Terrace, ridge field
• Maize, cotton

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Maya - Decline

• The decline of the Maya is unclear.
• Around 800 CE they bean to abandon their cities.
• Disease, drought, internal unrest have all been
  proposed as possible reasons for their demise.

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3)Aztecs

• 1150 C.E.- 1450 C.E.
• Central Mexico
• Capital city was
• Tenochtitlan

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Aztecs - Political

• More than anything the Aztecs are known for their
  expansionist policy and professional army which
  allowed them to dominate nearby states and demand
  heavy taxes and captives. Remember they are
  Expansionist militaristic
• Built an empire of 12 million people, but despite
  this they didnt have a bureaucratic form of
  government.
• Autonomy was given to conquered areas as long as
  they paid the tribute (taxes) demanded of them.
• Roads built to link the empire trade grew.
• Inter-territorial trade

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Aztecs Social, Cultural

• Social Structure
• Due to expansion the Warrior elite become
  dominant (majority of people were peasants or
  slaves)
• Gender
• Women were subordinate polygamy was common
• Women could inherit could property
• Generally had to run the household, skilled
  crafts (weaving) and to some extent commerce
• Religion
• Military and religion were interlinked
• Obtaining sacrifices was a military goal
• Various deities were worshiped
• Tens of thousands killed annually.

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4)Inca

• Early 13th century- 1450 C.E.
• Peruvian Andes
• Capital city Cuzco

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Inca - Political

• Expansionist like the Aztecs.
• Controlled 2000 miles of South American
  coastline.
• Professional standing army
• Each new ruler had to ensure his place in
  eternity by securing new land due to the practice
  of split inheritance conquest.

Most united empire! 1. Established a bureaucracy
managed by nobles 2. Had a unified spoken
language (Quechua) 3. Also built a complex system
of roads
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• The Inca practice of Split Inheritance was the
  process in which a ruler's chosen successor
  obtained all political power and rights, while
  the ruler's other male descendants received all
  the monetary treasures
• For this reason, effort was made by rulers to
  secure as much land as possible, to ensure not
  only wealth for one's descendants but also to
  secure a place for eternity. The Inca believed
  that the quality of afterlife one would
  experience was dependent on how much one gained
  on earth.

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Inca Social, Cultural

• Society
• Like the Mayans and Aztecs they had no large
  animals the prime source of labor was human.
  (THIS WHY THEY RELIED ON SLAVES SO MUCH!!)
• Most of the population were peasants who worked
  the land or construction projects.
• Peasants had to give a proportion of their
  harvest to the ruling classes and to support
  famine relief and large cities.
• Gender
• Women subordinate - had to run the household,
  skilled crafts (weaving) and to some extent
  commerce
• Could Inherit property and pass property onto
  daughters
• Women could play a role in religion.

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Inca Religion

• Inti sun god, owns all
• The concept of private property didnt exist.
• The ruler was viewed as having descended from the
  sun and therefore owning everything on earth.
• Smaller-scale sacrifice compared to the Aztecs
  and Mayans (often sacrificed material goods or
  animals)
• Very strong Moral quality rewards for good
  behavior and punishments for bad behavior.
• Like the Egyptians the Incas mummified their
  rulers after death.
• Excellent builders Machu Picchu
• But never developed a writing system.
• They keep account of the harvests by using quipu,
  a set of knotted strings.

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5) Comparisons - Politically

• Motivations for expansion
• Maya slaves
• Aztec territory, sacrifices
• Inca religious
• Centralization
• Aztec and Maya city-state autonomy
• Inca most centralized
• Bureaucracy
• Unified language (Quechua)
• Roads

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Comparison - Socially

• All
• Peasant majority
• Slavery of conquered peoples
• Women subordinate except
• Inherit land
• Commerce
• Maya Priests, Merchant class
• Aztec Warrior elite
• Inca Religious elite, god-king (el Inca)

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Compare Aztecs to Romans

• 1. Both built roads to tie together their empire
• 2. Generally they allowed the people the
  conquered to govern themselves as along as they
  paid their taxes or tribute
• 3. Adapted ideas from conquered peoples
• 4. Polytheistic

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